'Rotting' home left empty for more than a decade

A damp and "rotting" home which has been left empty for more than 10 years should be repaired or demolished, neighbours said.

The semi-detached bungalow on Sutherland Street in Seaham has been a regular target for youths in the years it has been unoccupied.

Ian Pearson, who lives two doors down, said it should either be brought back into use or "if that doesn't happen it needs knocking down".

Durham County Council's housing standards manager, Ted Murphy, said the property was part of a "complex estate" and while ownership was decided the authority would continue to monitor the building and respond to issues as they arise.

Pearson, who has lived nearvy for three years, said he looked inside when protective boarding was ripped off.

"It is rotting inside, it is a complete mess in there," he said.

"About a year ago new doors were put on and we thought something was going to happen but then six months ago they were ripped back off."

The house has been repeatedly broken into in recent years [BBC]

He said he had been told that damp was coming through from the derelict property into the neighbouring home.

Labour MP Grahame Morris said long-term empty properties were "a blight on our communities" and undermine community pride.

He said: "It is simply not right that communities are expected to live alongside empty and abandoned properties for years, and in some cases decades.

"Local authorities already have powers to bring these homes back into use, and those powers should be used more proactively wherever possible."

Murphy said: "Unfortunately, resolving this matter is not straightforward because the property forms part of a complex estate and, at present, there is no one with full legal authority to make decisions regarding the house's future.

"We have identified and are supporting a potential beneficiary through the probate application process and remain in contact with the parties involved.

"In the meantime, we continue to actively monitor the property and respond to issues as they arise."

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